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Architecture Senior Theses School of Architecture Dissertations and Theses

Spring 2017

Axon-orama: A New System of Architectural Representation Axon-orama: A New System of Architectural Representation

Fei Wang

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Wang, Fei, "Axon-orama: A New System of Architectural Representation" (2017). Architecture Senior Theses. 398. https://surface.syr.edu/architecture_theses/398

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AXON-ORAMAA New System of Architectural Representation

Fei Wang #89 Advisor: Ted Brown

Architectural representation plays a fundamental role in how a project is perceived by the audience.

In order to enable the viewer to act as the intermediary between image and imagination, building and drawing, reality and representation, architectural

representation should be more than a rigid drawing toward objective reality, but rather a multifaceted interpretative lens.

...

Axon-orama is a made-up word containing two parts: “axonometric” and “panorama”, which also suggests an inclusive system has both “objective” and “subjective” embedded in.

Objective vs. Subjective

Because of axon’s unique characteristics such as: parallelism, absence of vanishing point, and non-context, the axonometric drawings provides an accurate representation of architectural forms, blurs the order and layer in image.

The following two drawings were painted by El lissitzky. He brings the geometric form flow in the air without any context. He uses simple elements like dots, lines, squares, and cubes to describe a complex spatial relationship.

“Objective” & “Axonometric Drawings”

Objective vs. Subjective

This typologies were borrowed and sampled from the architectural drawing history. Referencing the thesis committee intro of “Images at play”, “these images are not the result of architectural inquiry but its source”. Here I collected and archived images that pertain to Axon. By reviewing this catalogue, few results were uncovered.

OnOn the one hand, axon drawings indeed allow architects to represent a three-dimensional object by keeping the elements to scale. On the other hand, just because axon is parallel, one single axon drawing can actually trigger different visual perceptions.

“Catalogue”&“Axonometric Image Analogies”

Objective vs. Subjective

Objective vs. Subjective

Objective vs. Subjective

Turning to the “Subjective” part. While axon has challenged our optical assumption, panorama, an unbroken view of the whole region surrounding an observer, provides a perfect perspectival experience.

The left image shows a panorama building. Inside this cylinder shape building, the system provides an immersive experience by putting them in the central point to feel the 360 degree view. The other one is a wide scroll which captures the the landscape of the River Thames. In addition to the landscape, we can also see this long image as a narrative with a fixed path navigation.

Therefore,Therefore, axon and panorama seem contradictory to each other, but put them together, we can see that they are all dialectical. We cannot define axon as an absolute objective drawing because different viewers will have different spatial understandings. We also cannot assume panorama is exactly subjective, because under particular context, panorama’s representation is totally accurate for audiences.

“Subjective” & “Panorama Drawings”

• myriorama photo

Myriorama

Representations are re-arrangeable Representations are endlessRepresentations are random Representations are validRepresentations are originals

If axon and panorama are not completely conflicting, is there a bridge to connect them and somehow create a new system of architectural representation.

Then the research led me to Myriorama. It’s a simple game that 19th century children could arrange and re-arrange, forming different pictures.Taking the Toysmith toy as an example, the 24 cards can be laid side by side in any order to create a perfectly harmonious landscape every time.ThisThis old British board game provides me a new mindset to rethink the relationship between Axonometric drawing and panorama, and integrate them together.

“Myriorama”

5 Logics of Axon-orama

Representations are rearrangeable

Representations are endless

Representations are random

Representations are valid

Representations are originals

There are 5 logics I found in Myriorama and then applied to develop the logic of Axon-rama:

First, representations are re-arrangeable. Like the myriorama card game, all the panels are movable. You can always change the order to form different outcomes.So the possibilities are endless and absolutely random. You can not decide which result is the best one or which one is the “source”, because they are all equal. That is, all representations are valid and originals.

ToTo better elaborate these five fundamental logics behind my thesis, I would like to introduce two of my projects: One Half House and Maison Particulière.

“Axon” & “orama”

One Half Houses

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Axon-ramaRepresentation of One Half-House

“One-half Houses” & “One-half House”

One Half HousesAxon-ramaRepresentation of One Half-House

Narrative Diagram of One Half House

Although this is an unbuilt project, imagine yourself walk around this half-house in a imaginary space. This could be one narrative of how you move around this building. (Continued)

“One-half Houses” & “One-half House”

“One-half Houses”& “Myriorama”

Based on the narrative sequence, this axonometric panorama drawing was created. Then, I divided the successive narrative into eight moments. Borrowed from the myriorama’s game rule, this play card can be arranged and re-arranged. As the panels’ arrangement varies, alternative narratives are created. All roads reach the same destination without convergence.

That is to say, representations are re-arrangeable, endless, random, valid, and originals.

To further investigate the playability behind this game, There is one of the To further investigate the playability behind this game, There is one of the sequences randomly and continued digging in.

Field of Half-houses

Panorama of Eight-half Houses

One Half Houses

Perspective Myriorama

Axon-rama of Eight-half Houses

Axonometric Myriorama

“Axonometric Myriorama”& “Perspective Myriorama”

Based last sequence, there is a perspective myriorama of one half houses. It was really interesting to put the axon myriorama and perspective myriorama together and just look at them. I figured there was a potential to combine them together and play harder.

But upon closer look at my thesis aims for something more abstract. So this representational techniques must be explored and tested with a more geometrical drawing.

Representation, Axon-orama, Maison Particulière

Theo van Doesburg

Counter-Construction, Axonometric, Maison Particulière 1923

“Maison Particulière”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

Representation, Axon-orama, Maison Particulière

Axon-orama of Maison Particulière Series 1, 2, 3

“Maison Particulière”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

Drawing from the five logics of Axon-orama, elements within the image were rearranged, reconstructed, and distorted.

Thus we can see, the different, and even weird relations between objects are uncovered by reversing the typical design logic.

Representation, Axon-orama, Maison Particulière

Axon-orama of Maison Particulière-Voilà!

“Maison Particulière-Voilà!”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

After this series of plays, one of the possibilities was chosen. In this drawing, we can see the axon drawing, the perspectival view, the different compositions, the random narratives, and the spatial depths.

Illusionary Axon-orama Showcase-1

“Maison Particulière”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

But yet, two-dimensional drawings are not enough for me. The representation of Maison Particulière requires more depth. You might have seen these showcases there.

Rearrangement, reconstruction, and distortion are exaggerated by these three-dimensional representations. They created an illusion that blurs the boundary between seeing and experiencing.

AlthoughAlthough this three dimensional model is indifferent to the orders of the Voilà!, the narratives are misaligned by these transparent tubes. Especially when you look though one single tube, it is just like a new panorama in its own.

Illusionary Axon-orama Showcase-2

“Maison Particulière”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

In the other model, objects are isolated to create the depth, shadows are made to create a theater-like miniature.

Representation, Axon-orama, Maison Particulière

“Maison Particulière”& “Representation, Axon-orama”

Finally, all of my works on Axon-orama of Maison Particulière was preceded by this full size installation.

Van Doesburg once defended his Axonometric drawing: “The point is to situate man within painting, rather than in front of it. Man does not live in the construction but in the atmosphere generated by the surfaces.”

Well, this installation aims to make further investigation in “situating audiences within the painting.”

//A codified architectural representation, the axonometric drawing is objective, yet an audience's’ reception of a

building is perspectival and constructed through a spatial narrative over time. In response to this paradox, Axon-orama is proposed as a new representational technique - a set of variational In response to this paradox, Axon-orama is proposed as a new representational technique - a set of variational

drawings with pliable arrangement and hybrid expression - explored through the use of the Britsh board game, Myriorama. The work blurs the boundary between objective and subjective representation /perception,

offering a new system of architectural inquiry.//

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